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2005 NFL Schedule Released

4/13/2005 - 4-13-05, 2 p.m.
BY GEOFF HOBSON The bad news for a Bengals’ team looking to get off to a quick start is that four of their first six games of the season are on the road.

The good news is that none of those opponents had winning record at home last season and only the 9-7 Jaguars had a winning record overall in 2004.

That Oct. 9 game in Jacksonville is the only prime-time game for the Bengals on a schedule the NFL released Wednesday featuring a Sept. 11 road opener in Cleveland against new Browns head coach Romeo Crennel and a Saturday Christmas Eve game against Buffalo that is part of a stretch in which Cincinnati plays two of its last three AFC North games at Paul Brown Stadium.

The PBS opener is Sept. 18 against Minnesota with all home games Sundays at 1 p.m. this season.

From a national exposure standpoint, the schedule is a surprise because the Bengals have no prime-time games at home and no Monday night games at all after a season they supplied the country with two entertaining wins. In their first prime-time appearance in five years, they sprung a last-play Sunday night win over the Dolphins. Then the Bengals rolled up 321 yards against the NFL’s top defense in a 23-10 win over Denver that marked the team’s return to Monday night after a 12-year absence. “Your schedule always presents its own set of challenges, and we’ll have to be ready to meet them early on the road,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “The good news is that by meeting that challenge, we gain an edge down the stretch with home field advantage. “I’m disappointed for our fans that we don’t have a national television game at home,” Lewis said. “We had two great nights at home last year, winning on Sunday and Monday night. But this schedule provides us our opportunities to earn those spots again next year.”

But from a football standpoint, it could help the Bengals to their first play-off berth since 1990.

Their toughest stretch starts Oct. 23, when they play six straight winning teams that include two each against the teams they need to beat to win the AFC North in the defending champion 15-1 Steelers and the 9-7 Ravens. But four of the games are at PBS, where the Bengals are 10-6 under Lewis.

Plus, before back-to-back home games against Colts record-setting quarterback Peyton Manning Nov. 20 and Baltimore’s semi-annual grudge match with Lewis Nov. 27, the Bengals have their latest bye week in five years on Nov. 13.

That comes one game after the half-way point of a season in which the Bengals play nine foes that went an even .500 in 2004. They don’t play a team with a winning record until they take on the Steelers at home Oct. 23. With Lewis emphasizing a fast start (he’s 5-9 in September and October games), they play teams that went a combined 63-65 last year in the first two months of the season.

The Bengals open the preseason Friday, Aug. 12 at home game against two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England. It’s the first time the Bengals open with a home game since 1996. They close the pre-season on Friday Sept. 2 against the Colts at home, and ravel to Washington and Philadelphia on back-to-back Fridays, Aug. 19 and 26.

Bengals face early road work in 2005 schedule

Bengals face early road work

By Chick Ludwig

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | The NFL didn't do the Bengals many favors in the scheduling department for the 2005 season.

Schedule
2005 Bengals

In addition to playing four of their first six games on the road, including the Sept. 11 opener at Cleveland, the Bengals were denied a spot on ABC's Monday Night Football and only get one prime-time game — an ESPN Sunday-nighter at Jacksonville on Oct. 9.

The Bengals enjoyed two nationally televised home games in 2004 — beating Miami, 16-13, on Sunday, Sept. 19, and Denver, 23-10, on Monday, Oct. 25.

The good news: The Bengals get a Week 10 bye (Nov. 13).

The Bengals need the break to prepare for a crucial four-week stretch. They face Indianapolis before meeting AFC North Division foes Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cleveland in a row. The only road game in that span is Dec. 4 at Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati will face four playoff teams — Pittsburgh (twice), Minnesota, Green Bay and Indianapolis — and four of those five games are at home.

But the difficult early-season schedule, with road games at Cleveland, Chicago, Jacksonville and Tennessee sandwiched around home games against Minnesota (Sept. 18) and Houston (Oct. 2), puts pressure on the Bengals to avoid yet another slow start.

"Your schedule always presents its own set of challenges, and we'll have to be ready to meet them early on the road," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "The good news is that by meeting that challenge, we gain an edge down the stretch with home-field advantage.

"I'm disappointed for our fans that we don't have a national television game at home. ... But this schedule provides us our opportunities to earn those spots again next year."

Schedule odds and ends

• Hot ticket: The Oct. 30 game against Green Bay features a possible final Cincinnati appearance by Packers future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.

• Numbers game: The combined 2004 record of the Bengals' 2005 opponents is 134-122 (.523), including each division opponent twice.

• Friday night lights: All four preseason games are on Friday night with home games against New England (Aug. 12) and Indianapolis (Sept. 2).

Re: Bengals face early road work in 2005 schedule

Ahhh, OK ABC. The Bengals give you one HELL of a Monday night game, and you reward them by not coming back.

I am really upset by this. After that Sunday night game against Atlanta a couple years ago I knew they wouldn't be on national TV for awhile. They finally do get some exposure, do well, and then are thrown right back out.

I'm all for having big matchups on Monday night, but I am also sick of seeing some teams have 4 monday night games per season.

The AFC North is a pretty good rivalry division, and any one of the teams would make a good Monday night matchup.

"And the fact that watching him pitch is like having someone poop on your soul." FCB on Gary Majewski

Re: Bengals face early road work in 2005 schedule

I agree.

Here are the Monday Night games:

Philadelphia at Atlanta
Washington at Dallas
Kansas City at Denver
Green Bay at Carolina
Pittsburgh at San Diego
St. Louis at Indianapolis
N.Y. Jets at Atlanta
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Indianapolis at New England
Dallas at Philadelphia
Minnesota at Green Bay
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis
Seattle at Philadelphia
New Orleans at Atlanta
Green Bay at Baltimore
New England at N.Y. Jets
Washington at Philadelphia

Number of times on MNF:

Philadelphia: Four times
Atlanta: Three times
Washington: Two times
Dallas: Two times
Kansas City: One time
Denver: One time
Green Bay: Two times
Carolina: One time
Pittsburgh: Three times
San Diego: One time
St. Louis: One time
Indianapolis: Three times
N.Y. Jets: Two times
Baltimore: Two times
New England: Two times
Minnesota: One time
Seattle: One time
New Orleans: One time

Re: 2005 NFL Schedule Released

• Numbers game: The combined 2004 record of the Bengals' 2005 opponents is 134-122 (.523), including each division opponent twice.

This sounds tough, but take away the two Pittsburgh (15-1) games, and their opponents' record changes to 104-120.

I can't start to say how dissappointed I am about the Bengals not getting a MNF game and only one Sunday night game. Then again, they were 8-8, so I guess it would behoove them to post their first winning season in 15 years.

Why all the love for Atlanta, who has three MNF appearances? And I also find it odd that NE has only two.

Re: 2005 NFL Schedule Released

I thought they were going to hold off before announcing the late season MNF games to avoid bad teams on prime time. Those New Orleans at Atlanta and Washington at Philly games have the potential to be awful.

Re: 2005 NFL Schedule Released

Originally Posted by Reds/Flyers Fan

I thought they were going to hold off before announcing the late season MNF games to avoid bad teams on prime time. Those New Orleans at Atlanta and Washington at Philly games have the potential to be awful.

They are going to probably start doing that next year not this year. They are going to change those rules when the new TV contract starts which will be in 2006.

Re: 2005 NFL Schedule Released

Originally Posted by Reds/Flyers Fan

I thought they were going to hold off before announcing the late season MNF games to avoid bad teams on prime time. Those New Orleans at Atlanta and Washington at Philly games have the potential to be awful.

I've heard that, too, but I think it was being discussed as part of the next TV deal rather than the current one.

Re: 2005 NFL Schedule Released

Wow, I wonder if the NFL is trying to market Mike Vick this year.

I was really hoping the league would allow Cincinnati to showcase the next great offensive triumverate (Palmer, Rudi, and Chad). And I gotta think Chad Johnson could be a very marketable fellow. Heck, his jersey is one of the hottest sellars in football.

Oh well, I like the early schedule even though it's predominantly on the road. Hopefully Marvin can find a way to get over the September stumble.

Re: 2005 NFL Schedule Released

Is it just me, or have too many of the MNF and Sunday Night games been stinkers in the latter part of the season? Good to see the decision-makers eating crow over their decision to shun the Bengals when they made out their primetime schedules.

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